BASED ON TRUE EVENTS
Vindication Swim dives into the extraordinary life of Mercedes Gleitze, who in 1927 became the first British woman to swim the English Channel. The film depicts Mercedes’ upstream struggle in overcoming both the cold waters of the English Channel and the oppressive society of 1920s England. However, after a rival comes forward claiming to have accomplished the same feat, Mercedes is forced into battle to retain her record and her legacy.
Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Elliott Hasler, Vindication Swim stars British-Irish actress Kirsten Callaghan in her debut role as Mercedes Gleitze, who trained for months in the English Channel before filming began. The film also stars John Locke (Darkest Hour, Poor Things, The Favourite) alongside James Wilby (Maurice, Gosford Park, Howards End) and Douglas Hodge (Joker, The Great, Black Mirror).
In celebration of International Women's Day, Vindication Swim is hitting cinemas across the UK and Ireland on March 8.
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
"I felt a very strong connection with Mercedes Gleitze, not least because we both hail from the same seaside town on the south coast of England, and from practically the same beach did we both learn to swim a century apart, all of which compelled me to tell the story of this remarkable woman. The sea was always envisioned as a character within the narrative, and it was incredibly important to me that we shoot all the swimming sequences, in their entirety, out on the open water of the English Channel. Having such visceral dynamism at our disposal really allowed us to immerse ourselves into to the world of Mercedes, with lead-actress Kirsten Callaghan performing all her own stunts in the water having trained for three months prior to filming. Everything within those swimming sequences is real; not tanks or blue screens or body-doubles. It was our aim to really submerge the audience into the waters of the Channel, so they feel as if they are swimming alongside Mercedes on her incredible journey and get to share in her love affair with the water.” - Elliott Hasler, writer & director